Moths’ Rising Ch. 1: Gateway

The chimes rang. It was time for church. Steven didn’t go. He wasn’t like people who just weren’t church-goers; He used to go every Sunday AND Wednesday.

Then Kenneth came.

And with him was the Gateway to Heaven.

Steven and Kenneth sat on a bench outside their highschool. They both had blunts in their mouths. Kenneth had dirty black hair and a long Pink Floyd T-shirt on. Steven had long, curly brown hair with a beanie that said ‘Black Sabbath’ on it. They were both 15 year old slightly tanned Caucasians. Both of their eyes were pinkish-red and irritated which almost covered Kenneth’s blue eyes and Steven’s brown eyes.

Obviously, it was the 1970’s.

“Eeeeeh, man, what are we doing?” Kenneth leaned back.

Steven did the same, “Eh, what, Ken?”

“Eeeeeh, I forgot”

“Eeeeeh,” They both moaned. Then they looked at each other and laughed.

Steven stood and walked off. He was going home. Kenneth was too high to care. Steven was going to address Kenneth but had… Forgotten.

Steven had barely got off the school grounds when his best friend, Dewy Wilson, or Doy as Steven called him, noticed him, “Not again… You cain’t go out in public like that!”

Dewy was called ‘Doy’ because he wasn’t the smartest when it came to academics. He knew common sense, though, so he made sure to get Steven to another bench in a shaded area near a large patch of wood that was at the left side of the school.

Doy was a short, African-American boy with a buzzed haircut. His eyes were very unique because they were an bright orange color. He always had a smile no matter what.

Right then, he had very large grin, “Yeer high as a kite, ain’t cha?” He laughed.

“Suuuuuuure,” Steven replied.

“Aye!”

Doy turned around. It was Kenneth.

“What’re you doin’?” He continued.

“I…,” Doy was cut off as Kenneth ran at him. He rammed into him and knocked him in the woods, “…What is goin’ on here, Ken?”

“Uh,” Kenneth sat up, “I forgot…”

“Then do ya mine gittin’ off me?”

Kenneth sat there, thinking, for a moment, “Oh, yeah,” He punched Doy right in the nose.

“Ow!” Doy partly whimpered in reply to Kenneth’s not-so-strong hit.

“You can’t tell ‘im what to do!” Kenneth complained.

“So, ya sayin’ Ah cain’t pretect ‘im from gittin’ uh-rested?”

Kenneth threw another punch.

Doy shoved his leg into Kenneth’s stomache, knocking him back.

“Meh.”

“Now weell ye stop?”

Kenneth let out another ‘meh’ and closed his eyes, seemingly passing out which was a suprise since Doy barely touched him.

“Whoops,” Doy sighed.

“Wow,” Steven said, seeing the fight, “Eeeeeh.”

Doy started to walk back to Steven when he heard a high-pitched screech. He turned around to see a humanoid thing flying above with fleshy wings protruding from its arms and sides. He seemed to see him too because it started to quickly fly towards him. It was very bloody and had a very distorted body. Many stitches was around its arms and legs. Its skin was torn from its feet. Its foot muscles were showing. It had sharp bones attached to its toes. Steven nor Doy could make out its s*x as it headed towards them with great speed.

Doy didn’t know what to say at first, “…The hell?” He said right before the thing took ahold of his arms with its bloody feet and flew off, “Halp meh!”

Steven stood up quickly and rubbed his eyes, “What the f**k?”

He started to hear sobbing in the crowded woodland, “Now they hases one more to makez into an abominationses.”

“Hello?” Steven tried to peep into the forest, “What the hell was that thing?”

He heard a sigh.

A small old man well into his 60’s came out, “Hello, *sob* Childz…”

“Hey, grandpa,” Steven said calmly and frowned.

The man looked at him, looking annoyed, “Disrespectfulz little bratz,” He said to himself.

“Who are you again?”

“Doctorz Gabbensteinz at yourz service,” The elder replied.

“Do you know wha…,” Steven trailed off as he stared at a bird flutter in the trees. Gabbenstein thought Steven whispered ‘wow’ or ‘pretty’.

“Indeedz,” The man continued, “I wases a Germanz Scientistz backz inz World Warz 2. I later moved to America after the war.”

Gabbenstein wiped a tear from his eye, “I lived happily forz 15 yearses when I learnedz oves thez Mothman Brotherhoodses. They saidz they needed help and anz experienced Scientistz. So I joined them. They broughtz mez material to makeses Mothmenz so I obeyedz and joined.”

“Woah,” Steven cut in, “So they were a cult?”

“Sadly, I didn’t knowz thatz until they knew howz to copy my workz. They told mez I wases helpingz people witheses disability and enhancing their bodieses.”

“Okay..?”

“Whatses?”

“How did you not know what you were doing?” Steven queried.

“Ah,” Gabbenstein held up his index finger as he continued to speak, “I askses myselveses thatz same question allz thez time.”

“You see, Misterz…,” Gabbenstein continued.

“Uh, Steven Nicks.”

“You see, Mr. Nickses,” He repeated, “They released onez oves the beast into society in ’66 and it attackedses some people. A fellow scientistz, Mickey, I believe, had been there withses 4 of thez subjectz in ’59 to test howses well theyses couldz handle themzselves out of thez testing facility. Theyz started to attack him and one escapedz thez cabin. Hez managedses to kill the other 3 butz went insaneses and… Ended his liveses.”

Steven burst out laughing, “It… Its reeeeaaaally hard to be sad or ser… Serious with th… That accent!”

The man seemed to snarl at Steven, “…That’s whenz I decidedz to *cough* When I decided to leave the brotherhood behind,” Gabbenstein said in a horrible American accent.

“So these things just roam around freely?”

Gabbenstein started to nod but hesitated, “Many oves themz are willing subjectz of the brotherhoodses so most of them, no, do notz roamses freely.”

“Eeeeeh.”

It was Kenneth.

“Lookz as ives your friend is awakeses. What happen to hises anywayz?”

Gabbenstein walked back into the woods and disappeared. Steven sat Kenneth on the bench and headed home. When he got home, it was late. His mother and father didn’t care. They just assumed he was playing basketball with Dewy. He went to his room and sat. His high had worn off now. He layed down and thought about Dewy. He started to cry. Soon his crying tired him out and he fell fast asleep.

Meanwhile, Gabbenstein had retreated to an old cabin decorated with red and white tapestries. He walked into the hall. On the left wall there was pictures of burning crosses and members of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). Gabbenstein smiled at this. On the right was pictures of people in red and black cloaks that masked their faces and Mothmen. He frowned at this. Soon after Gabbenstein had left the Mothman Brotherhood (MB), he wanted to become much more religious and joined the KKK. Their ways reminded him of the days when he was a Nazi. At the end of the hall were two symbols. One was for ‘The Klan’ and was a cross with a flame symbol in the middle. The other was for the brotherhood and was simply a pentagram.

“You two havez destroyedses me,” He whispered.

In the middle, between the symbols, was a small wooden endtable with a Scientist uniform that had a Nazi symbol on its shoulder, “YOU have always treated me right…”